Client Case Studies

Challenge:

With the Executive Team anticipating slowing growth, greater emphasis was being placed on the role innovation would play in securing the continued success of Danone's global medical foods division. Despite a strong history of new launches and an exciting pipeline of new technologies recent success had been below expectations and the need to significantly raise the organisation's global capability had been identified.

Solution:

Faced with a complex, global and multidisciplinary environment, the approach called for a rigorous framework aligned across the business and improved ways of working to enhance performance. This was achieved through a 3 step plan. First establishing a clear vision for new brands and prioritisation of key opportunity areas - identifying the most attractive markets where a significant competitive advantage could sustain long term returns. Secondly,the alignment of key stakeholders and identification of lead countries to champion priority commercial projects and demonstrate in-market success. Thirdly the continued development of marketing and commercial capability to roll-out success by facilitating the sharing and transfer of best practice between country markets

Results:

Impact was immediately evident through increased focus, energy and belief in a refreshed and realistic vision for new brands. Commercial results began to follow including accelerated double-digit growth, a $200M pipeline of new initiatives and a new business unit established to sustain the enhanced capability.

Challenge:

As a leading player in global professional care markets, Farécla enjoys a strong niche market position. Despite a number of recent acquisitions growth in its 'heartland' markets was beginning to slow.

Solution:

An initial programme of market research quickly identified that - despite a very strong brand equity - the market had begun to see the brand as outdated. As a consequence much of the growth in the market was going to the competition. The market was growing and Farécla was losing share. A programme of brand modernisation was established and included a refreshed brand property, enhanced product line-up and a more evidence-based marketing campaign to engage with the increasingly sophisticated customer demands

Results:

The assignment concluded with a blueprint-for-implementation owned by the marketing team and aligned across the organisation. Subsequent implementation began the rejuvenation of the business with accelerated growth across international markets

Challenge:

With a significant brand equity developed and built in professional markets, Farécla began to explore how the business could begin to extend into consumer markets.

Solution:

An intial programme ofresearch identified significant unmet need in consumer markets. A strategy to grow the category was developed in collaboration with the leading retailer in the sector. With a new product line-up designed for consumer research and a marketing campaign to challenge consumer's expectations the brand was launched into the consumer market

Results:

In-market sales exceded expectations and the success model established in the UK market became the template to guide roll-out across the US, Europe and Asia.

Challenge:

As one of the most successful new brand launches onto the high street in recent years, Venture had redefined the market for consumer portrait photography - transforming its value and creating a new generation of profitability. 'Copy Cat' competition began to follow fast, putting pressure on prices and poaching creative talent. A marketing strategy was needed which would not only help the organisation to continue its rapid growth but would defend the business against increasing competition.

Solution:

The solution required a new and powerful brand to be created. Initially a programme of consumer research defined the core insight that would become the foundation for a new brand property - storytelling. The brand maxim 'Every Venture Tells a Story' was born and became the foundation of brand engagement with consumers and employees alike. A 'One Venture' internal branding programme ensured the delivery of the brand promise and raised levels of employee engagement and retention

Results:

Brand awareness tripled, pricing declines were stabilised and lead generation grew by +45% over an 18 month period. In 2006 Venture New Generation Portraits entered the Superbrands Hall of Fame and shortly afterwards the immediate competitor chose to exit the market.

Challenge:

With a distinguished heritage which had earned Clearasil £100M in annual global sales, the brand had begun to lose its way - suffering rapid double digit decline. Despite a unique reputation for trusted effectiveness in giving teens clear skin, the brand was losing touch with a consumer growing up fast and facing ever more choice. Clearasil was losing share. Clearasil was perceived as too aggressive - its ever increasing focus on power, concentration and cartoon advertising promising to 'blitz that zit' no longer struck a chord. Teens were becoming more knowledgeable, sophisticated and demanding and Clearasil was no longer dealing with their issues.

Solution:

A comprehensive overhaul of the brand, celebrating Clearasil's effectiveness but transforming its relevance. Advertising which showed how clear skin could help get your first kiss; a new product line up which not only look and felt skincare but had new formats which refelected how teens used the category - introducing cloth wipes which had become nearly half of all usage forms - and a new language moving away from power to talk about the results you'd see in just 3 days.

Results:

Immediately brand relevance began to grow. Without losing the unique benefits of efficacy, Clearasil was seen to have a more balanced profile of positive skin health. And with new and exciting formats to try, the barriers to trial and retrial had been taken way allowing the brand to return to growth within 18 months

Challenge:

Despite great hope, Danone's latest brand launch in nutritional therapy had been disappointing. Ketocal, a new brand destined to help cure the most common neurological condition in children - Epilepsy - had failed to engage with the market. A new brand strategy was needed.

Solution:

Ketocal was a brand with a difference - capable of controling seizures as well as any drug but critically without their delibitating side effects. Mums celebrated the brand's potential to 'give me my child back'. A new brand promise of 'childhood regained' was developed with a communication strategy to appeal to mums, doctors and intermediaries alike on an emotional level and bring them together to promote access to the new therapy. And with a series of new product formats and meal plans to make the diet simple, the end beneficiary was now in the driving seat to 'pull' the brand and build on the 'push' strategy introducing the therapy to medical professionals.

Results:

Growth rates began to accelerate, first in the US which was the pilot market. Initial success was transferred over to european markets by strong collaboration across the global team, dramatically increasing growth rates to over +75% and putting Ketocal on track to be Danone's next blockbuster in medical foods.

Challenge:

Since Victorian times nothing much had changed in portrait photography. The category had become dull, lifeless and low value. Consumers were not engaged - more feared the experience like some kind of trip to the dentist.

Solution:

Venture changed all that, transforming the value of the category ten-fold by promising a unique piece of personal art - making an icon of the family in an ever-changing world. A fun studio experience brought life back to the experience - helping capture individuality, relationships - revealing the unique real you. And a new promise of telling-your-story was born.

Results:

Bringing a new benefit to an old category transformed both profitability and growth. Introducing the new brand promise through the maxim 'Every Venture Tells a Story' not only helped rapidly triple brand awareness without increasing media expenditure but also earned the company Superbrands accreditation